Scobie was perhaps the most tortured of all of Graham Greene's tortured Catholics and he's played magnificently by that most underrated of great actors, Trevor Howard in George More O'Ferrall's mostly superb and largely forgotten screen version of "The Heart of the Matter". One reason Scobie is such a tortured Catholic is that he is torn between the faith he's largely lost since the death of his daughter and his love for a young refugee, (another wonderful performance from Maria Schell); he's happy to sleep with her but thinks he will go to hell if he takes Holy Communion while in mortal sin.

This is a wonderfully acted picture throughout; Howard and Schell may have the best of it but note too Elizabeth Allan, she of "A Tale of Two Cities" and "David Copperfield", as Scobie's adulterous wife, Denholm Elliot as the young man besotted by her and Gerard Oury as the diamond smuggler who blackmails Scobie. The plot may be a trifle grim and all that Catholic guilt proved too much for audiences at the time which may account for why the film is seldom revived now. An acquired taste then, but essential viewing for anyone interested in the art of acting.

A fairly good remake of the Graham Greene novel. Though the ending is different from the novel, the tragic theme is prevalent throughout the film. Trevor Howard brings out Scobie's inner torment credibly - as the principled police officer scared of the misery around him. The colonial aspects of the time period are handled well, you can almost feel the heat and humidity and the occasional fevers that rack the body. This combined with good acting, flesh out the Greene novel faithfully. A terrific movie about the machinations of the human conscience, and what it can lead to.

Trevor Howard makes the dilemmas facing his character unforgettable. I saw this movie decades ago, and there are scenes - some sensational, some very quiet - that still haunt me. I hope I have the chance to see the movie again - I'd like to share it with my daughter and discuss the theological issues raised with her - and of course, celebrate Howard's marvelous acting.